D2392 — Composite filling — two surfaces, posterior
A posterior composite is a bonded tooth-coloured filling in a back tooth. D2392 is the two-surface version.
This is the most commonly reported of the four composite restoration, posterior tooth codes, which is why it is the one people usually see on an estimate. The full account of the treatment is in our composite restoration, posterior tooth guide.
What the code requires, what it costs, how it is paid, and how to tell it from its neighbours — each in its own section below.
What the code commits to
Extent — two surfaces. Two surfaces puts the margin of the restoration down between the teeth, where it cannot be inspected directly and where recurrent decay is hardest to spot. That is why this size is checked on X-rays rather than by eye.
Material — tooth-coloured composite resin. Composite is a resin filled with glass particles, placed soft and hardened with a blue curing light in layers. It bonds chemically to enamel and dentine, so the preparation can follow the decay instead of being cut to a retentive shape, and less sound tooth is lost. The trade-offs are technique sensitivity — the tooth has to be dry and isolated for the bond to work — and a shorter working life than amalgam under heavy chewing load, typically seven to twelve years on a back tooth. The material is part of the code rather than a choice made afterwards, so D2392 is only the right code if that is what was actually used.
Tooth — a back tooth, where sealing the margin matters more than appearance.
Counted — per site, and sites are counted by the surgeon's record rather than by tooth number, so the documentation drives the total.
D2392 against the codes beside it
D2391 — Composite filling — one surface, posterior: It covers a single surface instead of two surfaces.
D2393 — Composite filling — three surfaces, posterior: It covers three surfaces instead of two surfaces.
D2394 — Composite filling — 4+ surfaces, posterior: It covers four or more surfaces instead of two surfaces.
Those three codes and D2392 are the whole group — nothing else describes this procedure. Two of these codes on one estimate is not necessarily an error, but it is always worth asking what each line is for.
Every code in this group
These codes describe the same broad procedure and differ in one respect each. Each has its own page with its own fee range and coverage notes.
| Code | Procedure |
|---|---|
| D2392 | Composite filling — two surfaces, posterior — this page |
| D2391 | Composite filling — one surface, posterior |
| D2393 | Composite filling — three surfaces, posterior |
| D2394 | Composite filling — 4+ surfaces, posterior |
Questions about D2392
D2392 — what is it?
The procedure behind the number is composite filling, two surfaces, posterior, filed under restorative.
What is the typical fee for D2392?
Most private fees fall in $195–$455. Geography accounts for more of that spread than anything clinical.
Will my plan pay for D2392?
In most cases yes, at the basic rate: 70–80% of the amalgam allowance on many plans. The annual maximum is what usually decides how much of that you actually see.
What is the difference between D2392 and D2391?
D2391 is composite filling, one surface, posterior: it covers a single surface instead of two surfaces. That one difference is the whole distinction; the chair time, the materials and the appointment sequence are the same either way.
Also known as: white filling, composite filling, posterior composite, molar filling, tooth-coloured filling.